Page 28 - Kennemerland VOC ship, 1664 - Published Reports

NAUTICAL ARCHAEOLOGY, 2.2
cury. A third flagon 3 found 5 m to the south of the compass was unfortunately dropped whilst being raised and spilled some 18 kg of mercury on the seabed. The stoneware frag- ments were retrieved and pieced together in Lerwick Museum. Mercury was listed in the cargo of the Kennemerland. It was shipped by both the Spanish and the Dutch to their colonies in large quantities for use in an early process for the assaying or extraction of gold and silver from their ores.
Concretions 3 and 4
Two concretions were found on opposite sides of the deepwater channel. The western concretion 4 contained pottery fragments whilst besides it a further fragmented stone- ware flagon appeared to have been crushed by wreckage consisting of planking and a heavy wooden baulk (with a treenail fastening) which dipped below the sand.
Grindrtone
A large grindstone measuring 0.66m in diameter, 0.12m thick, and with a square centre hole with 0.10m sides. A lead screw bottle stopper with glass fragments adhering toitlay1mtothewestofthegrindstone.A similar lead stopper was found on the Liefde.
Cannons 3-6
Four iron cannons, very well preserved in comparison to the two previously located, were found two days before the end of the expedition. There was only sufficient time to
298
Description. Bellarmine flagons, made in and around Freuchen in the German Rhineland,are one of the most typical ceramic finds asso- ciated with the 17th century on both land and underwater sites. Such flagons, however, origi- nateinthesecondhalfofthe16thcentury,and continue, without plaques or masks, into the 18th. Generally the earlier examples bear genuine coats of arms and carefully moulded, bearded face-masks. The late examples, par- ticularly after the 1660s, carry degenerate or stylized arms or rosettes and the masks be- come lion-like with ‘hour-glass’ mouths.
The three examples from the Kennemerland provide a close date for the mid-17th century form; even if the comparatively long ceramic life of stoneware vessels is taken into account. These flagons were made in such quantity that it is clear that their uses were many. However, as they are mostly associated with the table and drink, this example of one for the transport of mercury is welcome.
Each of these examples has the typical iron- washed ‘tiger skin’ finish of salt-glazed stone- wares, and carries applied oval body plaques, below rather crude face-masks, with hour-glass mouths, on the necks and has a single handle. The plaque on flagon 2 bears the arms of the City of Amsterdam; a shield charged with three saltires, under an imperial crown and supported by two lions. Flagon 3 carries a plaque with a shield charged below the chief with a wheel, under a crown. This very likely represents the arms of the City or Archbishop- ric of Mainz (a six-spoked wheel), a city with important trade connections with the Nether- lands. The plaque on flagon 1 carries an achievement with the shield charged with a lion rampant (perhaps the lion of Flanders), with a half-lion forming the crest with mantling to the sides. This form of arms is a common one in the low countries.
J . H.Ashdown
P
0I
m
Figure 9. Cannon No. 3.
plot their positions and to draw and photo- graph cannon 3 (Fig. 3). It was loft2in (3.1 m) in length, had a clearly discernible pommellion and breech mouldings, the trun- nion was low set, and the bore was 6-5in (0.17 m).
Conclusions
The archaeological evidence seems to con- firm the traditional story of the wreck of the Kennemerland as recorded by Bruce (1907:
123-8).
The large patch of concretion 2 and an-
chors 3 and 4 are probably from the fore part of the ship which is recorded as having